Linden - Johannesburg Suburb

Linden is situated along the border of Randburg, north west of the Johannesburg city centre . Nestled in the foothills of Northcliff Hill the suburb was designed so that most of the streets and avenues form similar sized "blocks" of housing areas. Third Avenue passes through the middle of Linden, along which a number of shops, churches and schools can be found.

The suburb is named after the Linden farm, which stood in this part of Johannesburg over a hundred years ago. The original farmhouse still exists, restored to its former glory. Linden’s has it's own heated swimming pool, and the nearby Emmarentia dam and Botanical gardens are well worth a visit at any time of the year. Linden lies almost encircled by green parkland that makes staying here such a peaceful experience.

The trendy Greenside is just around the corner from Linden. Greenside’s main roads are lined with restaurants, antique and art décor shops that have transformed this part of Johannesburg into one of the best kept secrets in Johannesburg.

History of Linden
The original farmhouse of Linden was built some 120 years ago by Louw Geldenhuys for his foreman. Linden was founded on the south-western corner of the farm Klipfontein by Louw Geldenhuys, who farmed fruit and vegetables on Braamfontein farm and was the builder of Emmarentia Dam. He was also a Member of Parliament before and after the Boer War and served as a Johannesburg City Councilor. Louw Gendenhuys settled 10 families in the area now known as Linden. These families built the Emerentia Dam. He bought his portion of Klipfontein in 1896 to increase his grazing area.

The soil turned out to be very fertile, the acidic clay was perfect for growing peaches, and soon flourished with orchards. Once farmhouses were built, roads to Linden were laid out, and in 1932, a substantial amount of money was put aside to tar Rustenburg Road – a thoroughfare on the border to the fruit producing area in the vicinity of Linden.

By 1934 between 300 and 400 families were living in Linden, and most appear to be engaged in fruit farming. Water was not a problem, private wells or boreholes supplied good quality water. The farms gradually disappeared and in the 1950s the Afrikaner elite moved in, resulting in the suburb being referred to as the "Boere Houghton", and by the late 1950s Linden was a fully developed urban suburb.

Linden was renowned for the best yellow cling peaches in the world as recorded in the Guinness book of Records.